I have been through all three pages here Please let me know if I got some thing wrong.

I assume that this is Michigan wheeling which has minimal rocks.

About beating your junk…. If you are trying to break something it is pretty easy to do…in a moment of insanity brought on by too much testosterone, I ripped teeth off a D44 R&P and put holes in the diff cover as the teeth tried to leave the diff housing.

(Who know that would happen if I try to do wheelies with a V8 CJ5, I only had 31’s… OK 31x13.50 on 12-inch rims aired down to 5 PSI…OK it was a hot sticky kind of day where the pavement was oozing black tar all day this was in the evening as it began to cool down. The pavement was literally sticky like a cheap movie theater floor… I did do one hell of a wheelie though. For a little bit.)

Anyway I got what I deserved for that amount of stupidity with the skinny pedal. If you are trying to break something you will normally find a way to Get-R-Done.

Now on to the D30....

HP D30 unlocked stock shafts (297 joints)
35s OK with some breakage if you spare the skinny pedal
33s Good if you are liberal with the skinny pedal, may still break it so spare shafts are a good thing to carry

HP D30 Locked stock shafts (297 joints)
33s good if you spare the skinny
31s if you beat your junk

With alloy shafts the weak spot moves from the ears on the shafts to the carrier and gears. This is a much harder trail fix. That why I did not bump up the tire size with the alloy shafts. It just gets more expensive and harder to trail fix. There is some benefit with alloy shafts for reliability but not much because instead of shafts you are now breaking gears and carriers.

HP D30 unlocked alloy shafts (297 joints)
35s are OK if you spare the skinny pedal. Less shaft breakage
33s are OK if you are liberal with the skinny pedal... maybe still some breakage

HP D30 Locked alloy shafts (297 joints)
35s are OK if you spare the skinny. Some breakage still expected
33s if you beat your junk. Some breakage still expected

Rocks vs Mud. Running in rocks will tend to break stuff vs running in a loose sloppy mud or sand. Take 2 inches off the max tire size if you are running in Rocks or Rock piles.

yes, were still on a d 30, said person put a locker in his dana 35, nad did a brake tourque from gravel onto pavement and snapped an axle shaft, w/ the 35's. and just now is getting a 8.8, like a year after. and it is no 'sunday drive', when hes beating on his jeep, since hes only had 2wd for the last year

Thanks for all the help.. Based on all the great info, I'll probably stick to 33's... I can be a little heavy on the skinny pedal .. and once I get this thing lifted, I want to search out some rocks to climb..